The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog. ~ Ambrose Bierce
Our trip to the park this week can be summed up in one word: hot. We did a little bit of walking through the fields.
Luka dawdled behind me at one point and then raced to catch up.
We spent most of our time in the woods by the stream.
The dogs chased each other.
And ran around by themselves, too.
Luka explored the rocks.
And they both enjoyed cooling off in the water.
Sadie was soaked (and kept wanting to snuggle me so I was soaked, too).
She wanted to keep playing, but she was very tired.
She dug a hole in the dirt and rested.
Luka rested in the shade, too.
We had a lot of fun and the heat was exhausting. After we arrived home we all fell asleep. (Sadie got a head start: she slept the entire drive home.)
Finally, there are new socks on the needles.
Masquerading as a normal person day after day is exhausting. ~ Anonymous
The weather over the weekend was fantastic. It was one of those gorgeous days at the park that took my breath away.
One of my favorite things about Colorado is the sky. From time to time, I have people email/comment to ask if I alter the color of the sky in some of my pictures to make it so blue. I do not. The sky here really that blue. This picture shows it and I love the contrast of the green and blue in this picture.
The wind was manageable this week so we were able to explore more of the park.
We walked through fields.
We climbed the hill.
And enjoyed the view from the top.
Sadie enjoyed a rest in the sun.
We walked through the woods.
At one point, Sadie spotted something in a tree.
She encouraged Luka to take a look, too.
But, the dogs’ favorite spot was the stream.
I love how Sadie plows through the water with wild abandon.
Luka continued to enjoy drinking from waterfalls.
I’ve tried playing fetch with Luka, and he’s not really into it. He’ll fetch sometimes, but most of the time he just watches the ball fly through the air and then walks away.
However, he found a ball in the stream and really liked it. In fact, he played fetch with himself. He’d toss the ball around.
Then he’s watch it fall.
He’d paw at the ball.
Then he’d pick it up.
And start all over again.
This happened near the end of the time at the park and Sadie was tired. She climbed out of the water and took a nap.
Luka was tired, too. This is how he fell asleep on the way home. (It’s hard to see, but he’s actually sitting on Sadie.)
The way he fell asleep is further evidence that Luka is weird. I had my first evidence earlier in the week when I lost Luka. I lost him in my house. That may not sound too odd, but I live in a very small house (700 sq. feet) and losing a dog of Luka’s size in a such a small place was very strange. I found him tucked behind the couch.
I hadn’t even thought to look there because it’s such a small space. I store a lot of stuff behind my couch (my home has no storage space) and I didn’t think a cat, let alone a 100lbs. dog could fit back there. But he can fit and evidently he likes it there.
I have socks!
More details and pictures are here.
Finally, for those of us in the U.S., it’s Memorial Day. I’m enjoying my day off work, but I realize that it came at a horrible price. Thank you.
Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. ~ Eddie Cantor
The socks have heel flaps!
And since I took this picture they also have heel turns.
Today marks four weeks since Luka came home. He’s learned his name and often does this when I say his name (I love dogs that tilt their heads.)
When I went looking for a new dog, I hoped that I would get one that liked to play. I found one that loves to play.
Luka always starts by chewing softly on Sadie’s feet.
When Sadie gets sick of it she jumps him.
And the wrestling begins.
After a week of cold and dreary weather the clouds parted (briefly) for our trip to the park.
This week there was a lot of splashing.
Luka found a deep part in the stream.
Sadie preferred to hang out while Luka explored.
She loves the water.
The dogs did a lot of running.
We climbed the rocky hill.
We spent a lot of time in the woods.
Sadie likes that, too.
Sadie also kept an eye out for squirrels.
We walked about four miles at the park. The last mile was in the rain. We arrived home soaked, but had this waiting for us.
This afternoon I looked outside and saw Luka sleeping like this.
Weirdo.
I have found that if you love life, life will love you back. ~ Arthur Rubinstein
Spring has sprung.
The blossoms have appeared at the park.
After a winter of brown the park is finally turning green. That means there are a lot of wonderful things to sniff.
It was a gorgeous day at the park. I took a leap of faith and let Luka off the leash the entire time we were there. He was a very good boy and came back every time I called for him. He also stayed relatively close to me (not as close as Sadie, but close enough that I didn’t worry).
Sadie and Luka led the way on the main walking trail.
We also went off the main trail to climb one of the hills.
We all enjoyed the view from the top.
The dogs explored the woods together.
And, of course, there was a lot of splashing in the stream.
At one point, Luka was darting in and out of a waterfall. Sadie and I couldn’t figure out what he was doing.
Then it became clear: he was trying to drink the falling water.
The dogs enjoyed running together.
They ran separately.
And they played chase with other dogs (I love how Sadie and Luka are each chasing a different dog).
All of the running meant they slept the whole way home.
The feet of the socks are done. The stripes aren’t as close as the last pair, but I still love them.
When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure. ~ Alice Hoffman
Today dawned cold and foggy. It was also drizzling. It was the perfect day to hibernate at home.
Instead, Sadie and I went to our park. The usual spectacular view of the foothills was hidden by the thick blanket of fog.
Seeing the hills rise out of the mist reminded me of the movie Brigadoon.
Sadly, Gene Kelly did not appear out of the mist to dance with me.
In fact, we didn’t see many other people at all.
On a warm day the walking trail is filled with dogs and their people. Today we often had it to ourselves.
Sadie used the solitude to enjoy a moment of quiet reflection.
The park is beginning to show signs of life after a cold and snowy winter. Today I saw the first buds of the year.
There is also grass sprouting in the woods and Sadie sniffed every bit of it.
At one point she was so absorbed in the grass that she walked into a bush.
As always, Sadie enjoyed splashing in the stream.
She even explored the waterfalls.
Splashing in the stream and the mist in the air combined to create a soaking wet dog. Sadie paused often to try to shake off the water.
The weather was no match and by the time we got back to the car we were both wet and muddy.
Despite the weather related misery, it was a lot more fun than staying at home.
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~ Anne Bradstreet
It was another spectacular weekend here. Sadie and I spent time at our favorite park.
We walked across the fields.
Sadie urged me to stop taking pictures and walk faster.
We climbed the hill…
…and I sat on this bench on top of the hill.
Sadie sat beside me.
We both enjoyed the view.
We made our way down the hill and went to Sadie’s favorite spot: the stream. Sadie immediately got comfortable.
A few minutes later a lot of other dogs showed up.
Then the playing began.
Much to Sadie’s delight, another dog decided to play Chase with her.
After the game it was time for a cold drink.
A quick nap in the sun…
… and a real nap under a tree.
If Sadie could give the day two paws up, she would.
The latest pair of socks are going very, very slowly. This is how far I’ve gotten.
Hopefully I’ll have actual socks to show off next weekend.
Labradors [are] lousy watchdogs. They usually bark when there is a stranger about, but it is an expression of unmitigated joy at the chance to meet somebody new, not a warning. ~ Norman Strung
It was another gorgeous weekend here. When Sadie and I arrived at the park I realized that spring is finally here.
The stream is completely thawed. The little waterfalls are all flowing freely.
As always, Sadie jumped right in.
She barked with joy.
She splashed.
She enjoyed the ice cold water.
And she shook it off when she splashed it all over herself.
Sadie loves the water.
We also explored the woods. Sadie loves to run through the woods.
She loves it even more when there’s someone to chase.
We explored the fields.
In the middle of one of these fields is my favorite bench in the park.
I love to sit there and admire the view.
It was a fun day and when we arrived home Sadie passed out.
I finished the socks last night.
My intent was to get the stripes to match as closely as possible and look what happened:
They match perfectly. I’m still not sure how I pulled that off.
Full details of the socks are here.
I love this yarn so much that I’m going to use it again for the next pair of socks.
Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air… ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yesterday dawned sunny, but very cold and very windy.
I almost wimped out on the park, but I couldn’t deprive Sadie of the highlight of her week. I bundled up and off we went.
On the way to the park we drove by what I call the spaceship house.
I don’t know the story behind the spaceship, but I laugh every time I see it.
Sadie was more independent this week. She led the way on walking path.
She urged me to walk faster.
She explored the fields.
She took off through the woods.
She came to get me when I dawdled behind her.
She enjoyed drinking the ice cold stream water.
And she relaxed in the cold water (brrrr).
She barked with joy.
Seeing Sadie having so much fun made me forget the cold. Almost.
I’m making great progress on the Grape Ape socks.
Romeo has been helping me knit them.
Finally, a picture of Sadie. The dog takes napping seriously.
A good dog never dies. He always stays. He walks besides you on crisp autumn days when frost is on the fields and winter’s drawing near. His head is within our hand in his old way. ~ Mary Carolyn Davies
Thank you to everyone who commented, emailed and sent PM’s via Ravelry to express condolences on the loss of Kishka. I appreciate all of the kind words and stories that you shared with me. As many people commented, Kish’s death was very sudden and unexpected. I think I’m finally getting over the sheer shock of it and am starting to process what happened.
One thing I’m getting used to is a quiet house. I knew that Kish wooed a lot, but I didn’t realize just how much she wooed. My house is so darn quiet now. It’s kind of spooky.
I’m also showering Sadie with attention. She and Kishka bonded from the very beginning and I knew that Kish’s death would be rough on Sadie. For the first few days, Sadie seemed to look for Kishka. She was constantly walking around the house and yard. She’s stopped the searching and now she just seems depressed. I realize I’m anthropomorphizing her, but there’s no way around it: the dog has got the blues.
Weekends are for outdoor adventures and that continues. Hiding in my house eating chocolate will not bring Kishka back (a tactic I have tried) so last weekend Sadie and I headed out for our weekly adventure. I couldn’t face our usual park, so we went to a different one. Sadie had to stay on her leash at this park, but we still had fun.
The scenery was beautiful.
The trails weren’t crowded.
Sadie enjoyed leading the way.
She got impatient with all my picture taking.
And we found a gorgeous spot to rest.
This weekend we went back to our regular park. It was a gorgeous day.
There were even birds singing.
Sadie has always been a follower, not a leader, so for the first hour or so she stuck close by my side. Kishka always led the way and I don’t think Sadie quite knew what to do without her there. After some encouragement from me, she ventured off on her own.
Always keeping an eye on me, of course.
There was snow to eat.
A stream to splash in.
And, a hole to dig.
This last one took me by surprise. I’ve never seen Sadie dig a hole, but she dug a huge one yesterday.
Sadie also found a friend to play Chase with her.
She never came close to catching him, but she had fun trying.
She was a very tired girl when we got home.
There has been knitting around here. I finished the Film Noir socks last weekend.
The yarn is simply lovely.
And the skein size generous (I have size 10 feet).
I also cast on a new pair and have completed both feet.
Today is a very special day for Sadie.
It’s her anniversary. It was two years ago today that she came to live with me. We’re going to go for a walk later and then tonight she’ll get her present:
Sadie rarely gets such treats, so I’m sure she’s going to love it.
The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think. ~ Horace Walpole
My camera lives in my purse. I love capturing unexpected moments.
I was driving home from work one day this week when I spotted this:
Yes, that’s a Burger King crown on his head. He appeared to be sober.
Yesterday I spotted these people walking through town:
I think they started their St. Patrick’s Day drinking a bit early.
Could it be the moon?
Like many knitters, I keep my notions in tins (Altoids tins, gum tins, etc.). I was at the store this week and spotted a very cool tin.
It was marked 50% off and was in my cart before I thought to see what was inside. As a bonus, it was something I could use:
We went to the park this weekend, but I didn’t take many pictures. I did snap this one of Kishka enjoying the stream:
The day at the park wore her out:
Little known fact about Sadie: sometimes she sleeps with her eyes open. She was snoring when I took this picture:
And here she is, contemplating her place in the universe:
I just started the cuffs on my socks. It won’t be long before I’m wearing these!
Finally, best buddies:
